Part Of G

Paul Klee’s Geometric Alchemy: The Hidden Language of Part Of G

In 1927, as the Bauhaus school neared its zenith, Paul Klee produced Part Of G—a work that distills his lifelong obsession with the intersection of geometry and poetry. This composition, with its interlocking planes of muted ochre, slate blue, and chalky white, exemplifies Klee’s ability to transform abstract forms into something eerily organic. The title itself suggests fragmentation, as if the viewer has stumbled upon a section of a larger, unseen system. Unlike the bold primary colors of his earlier works, the palette here is subdued, almost architectural, reflecting the influence of his teaching years at Dessau, where he developed his theory of "pictorial architecture."

The painting’s grid-like structure belies its emotional depth. Klee often described his process as "taking a line for a walk," and in Part Of G, that line becomes a network of relationships—between shapes, between colors, and between the work and its observer. As MoMA’s retrospective notes, this period marked Klee’s shift toward "a more cerebral abstraction," where each element serves a dual purpose: structural and symbolic. The overlapping rectangles and trapezoids create a tension between stability and flux, a visual metaphor for the Bauhaus ideal of uniting art and industry without sacrificing mystery.

Klee at the Bauhaus: Where Pedagogy Met Play

By 1927, Paul Klee had spent nearly a decade at the Bauhaus, first in Weimar and later in Dessau, where his teachings on form and color theory became foundational. His lectures—later published as the Paul Klee Notebooks—emphasized the "active line" and the "energy of color," principles that Part Of G embodies. Unlike his colleagues like Kandinsky, who sought spiritual transcendence through abstraction, Klee’s work from this era often feels like a private language made public. The Bauhaus archive at Tate Modern highlights how his classroom exercises, such as the "gradation of tones" studies, directly informed compositions like this one, where subtle shifts in hue create rhythmic movement.

This painting also reflects Klee’s response to the political tensions of late-1920s Germany. While the Bauhaus championed utopian modernism, Klee’s work from this period—including Part Of G—hints at fragility. The title’s ambiguity ("Part Of G") could allude to anything from a musical scale (Klee was a violinist) to a fragment of a larger, lost whole. His contemporaries at Dessau, like László Moholy-Nagy, pursued machine-age precision, but Klee’s abstraction remained resolutely human, filled with what he called "the secret of the visible."

Part Of G is Klee at his most architectural—yet the structure breathes. The rectangles aren’t rigid; they pulse, as if lit from within by some unseen force.

The Making of Part Of G: Layering Meaning and Medium

Composition: The Illusion of Depth

Klee built Part Of G through a process of additive subtraction. He began with a ground of pale ochre, over which he layered translucent washes of watercolor and opaque oil. The overlapping shapes—some with crisp edges, others softly blurred—create a shallow space that seems to expand and contract. The central "G" form, if it exists, is never explicit; instead, the viewer’s eye assembles it from the negative spaces between the rectangles. This technique, which Klee called "polyphonic painting," allows the work to shift perceptually, much like a piece of music heard from different seats in a concert hall.

Color: The Alchemy of Restraint

The palette is deceptively simple: warm ochres, cool grays, and a single accent of slate blue. Yet within these limits, Klee achieves remarkable complexity. The blue rectangle in the upper left, for instance, appears to recede, while the ochre planes advance. This push-pull effect was a hallmark of his Bauhaus-era work, influenced by his studies of Goethe’s color theory. Klee often mixed his own pigments, and the matte, chalky texture visible in Part Of G suggests he may have incorporated ground minerals or pastel dust into the paint—a tactic he learned from his early experiments with reverse glass painting.

Displaying Part Of G: A Curator’s Approach

This print’s restrained palette and geometric rigor make it surprisingly versatile. In a modern interior, pair it with warm wood tones (walnut or teak) and soft linen textiles to echo the ochre grounds. For contrast, hang it against a deep charcoal wall—this amplifies the blue accent and lends the composition a floating quality. The 30×40 cm size suits intimate spaces: above a writing desk, in a narrow hallway, or as the focal point of a minimalist gallery wall. Avoid overly bright lighting, which can flatten the subtle gradations; instead, opt for a directional lamp to cast gentle shadows across the framed surface, enhancing its tactile depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Works by Paul Klee

Explore the evolution of Klee’s visual language through these key compositions from his Bauhaus and late periods.

Paul Klee

Castle And Sun

View print

Paul Klee

The Light And So Much Else

View print

Paul Klee

Halme

View print

Paul Klee

Park Bei Lu

View print

You May Also Love

Abstract Expressionism

Cy Twombly

Night Watch

View print

Fauvism

Henri Matisse

Pineapple And Anemones

View print

Impressionism

Claude Monet

Palazzo Dario

View print